Fishing in South Africa

South African fishing is unaffected by the relatively few deep rivers and lakes. Instead, it thrives. The abundance of food seems to make the trout bigger, the bass wilier, the yellowfish more feisty. Chat to the locals, and soon you'll be out there, wondering what's tugging at your line.

Did you know?

An astonishing 16% of the world's marine fish species are found in South African waters.

There are many fishingactivitiesinSouthAfrica. As you drive around our coastline, especially down in the Western Cape and up the West Coast, you'll see fishing villages gleaming white in the afternoon sun. These are communities that have lived off the bounty of the sea for centuries.

It is said humans may have had their brain power radically upgraded on a diet of seafood gleaned from the ocean's edge.

In South Africa,fishing also equals fun. Hundreds of tour operators offer some form of sport fishing, be it in the deep blue seas around our country, standing knee-deep in the water and casting a fly into the ocean, or just being at one with a flowing river in the hope of outwitting trout, catfish or carp.

Each fish species has its own traits, spawning habits, feeding preferences and level of awareness when it comes to being caught.

Fishermen revel in this, study them, come up with lures and bait to match them – and then talk about them at length at night, with a whisky on the rocks and something fishy sizzling on the grill.

A variety of deep sea fishing expeditions can be undertaken along South Africa's east coast, with species such as Marlin, tuna and Dorado among the thousands that anglers can land.

'Catch and release' is the latest mantra in South African fishing circles, and for some species that's the way to go. Fishing must be sustainable and maintained for future generations.

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